Adjustable packing for turbines.



No. 779,771. PATENTED JAN. 10, 1905. A. R. DODGE.

ADJUSTABLE PACKING FOR TURBINBS.

APPLICATION I'ILnn ma. 8. 100a.

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Witnesses:

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Patented January 10, 1905.

I UNITED STATES PATENTOFFIQE- AUSTIN R. DODGE, OF soHENEorAnm NEW YORK,ASSIGNOR To GENERAL ELECTRIC: COMPANY, AICORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ADJUSTABLE L- PACKING FOR TURBINES.

SPEGIFIGATIOK forming part of Letters Patent No..779,771, dated January,1905. .A pplioation flled August 8, 1903. Serial No. 168,794. I i

. To all whom it may concern:

zen of the United States, residing at Schenec-' 1 stages to preventvleakage.

are sub ect to wear and are also liable to give. trouble, due to variouscauses. In order to Be it known that I, Ans'TIN' R. DODGE, a cititady,in the county of Schenectady andStateof New York, have invented certainnew and use-- ful Improvements in Removable and Adjustable Packings forMultistage Turbines, of which the following is'a specification.

In elastic-fluid turbines it is necessaryto use packings around thewheel-shaft between These packings reduce the size ofthe turbine asawhole, the shells for the different stages are usually made in the formofa long cylinder with one or more diaphragms or partitions for dividingthe interior into. wheel compartments or stages. The casing or shell isusually made,

in sections for convenience of manufacture and handling. The-main shaftpasses through the diaphragm or diaphragms, and the packlngs are usuallysupported by the latter, since they are fixed in position. Thediaphragmsand packings being within the casing with wheels on both sides thereof,up to the present time it has been impossible to get at-'a packing toadjust or repair it without removing an end of the casing andat leastone wheel. In

some instances where a dynamo is mounted on topof the casing or shell oris in line therewith this also has to be removed. It is ev-ident that inthese constructions nothingc'an be done to-the 'packingin the. way ofadjusting or repairing it while the machines are in operation and alsothat they are a'soureeof considerable expense and-cause .a good deal oftrouble and delay. This mea'ns th'at the'sys tem into which theturbineenters is more or less crippled for .the time being-1 whenthe,

packing is to be fixedrdependingnpon the number of machines and the loadconditions.

- The present invention overcomes-the objec- 1 tions above referred toby mounting the packingsin such manner that they canbe ad usted. from apoint outside of the casing or. removed through suitable conduits orpassages While the machine is idle or in operation under certainconditions, as desired, and this without in any way disturbing thewheels and casing or shell or-the dynamo where such amachine is used.

I provide the turbine with as many wheels as is desired and inclose themin separate com partments,. the number of wheels in each com- .partmentbeing varied to suit the conditions forwhich the turbine is designed.Between ad acentwheels is a diaphragm or partition,

is a conduit or passage which may with advantage be formed in thediaphragms. These conduits or passages are of sufiicient size to permitthe insertion of. a pa'cking-ring, which may advantageously be made ofcarbon, to

' gether with a suitable holder for securing it in place. 1 find it bestto make the packing-ring and its holder in two parts and insert themfrom opposite sides of; the casing or shell through similar conduits orpassages. In order to balance thepressures on opposite sides of thesegmental packing-ring, steam or other fluid maybe admitted to thecasing. The outer en'dof each conduit is closed a detachablecover-plate. The segments of the packingring are pressed against theshaft by suitable meansii Ihave found springs to be satisfactory forthis purpose. I adjust the'packings from a point ator near the outersurface of .theshell o-r jcasing: of the machine. In the.present-embodiment-this is accomplished by through the cover-plates andhave adjustingnutsi but the invention is not limited to the specificmeans shown. When the packings "means of radially-extending rods whichpass are worn, they are removed and recut to;the

desired shape. It is important to'adjust the packingsif romtime totime'to prevent leakage from one wheel-compartment to another,

thereby maintaining the high efliciency of the machine. Ordinarilv themachine would be be varied at will.

In the accompanying drawings, which represent one embodiment of myinvention, Figure 1 is an elevation of a multistage turbine with certainof the parts broken away to illustrate the interior thereof. Fig. 2 is atransverse section, and Fig. 3 is a detail view, of a modified form ofpacking-support.

1 represents the base of the machine, which is connected with a'condenser by means of a neck 2. Mounted on the top of the base is asectional casing, which in this instance comprises two cylindricalportions 3 and a. Situated between the portion of the casing is adiaphragm 5,whose sides are subjected to different pressures. Thisdiaphragm serves to divide the casing into separate chambers orcompartments, and a wheel is located in each of the compartments. Theupper end of the casing is closed by a suitable top or cover, and thelower end opens directly into a condenser chamber formed 'in the base,into which the bucket wheel discharges steam. The wheels may be of anysuitable character, and the number of rows of buckets thereon can In thepresent instance a jetmachine is shown with three rows ofwheelbucketsper stage, it being understood that the necessary intermediate bucketsand nozzles are also provided. 'The diaphragm is provided with top andbottom shoulders which engage the inner. surfaces 'of'thecasing-sections, and the parts are united in any suitable manner. Theparticular means employed to support thediaphragm is, however,immaterial. center of the'di'aphragm is bored out to receive the flangedsleeve 6; and the latter surrounds the main shaft 7, which carries thewheels and is supported in a step-bearing 8. The sleeve acts as a guidefor the segmental detachable packing-ring 9, which engages with theshaft and prevents the leakage of fluid from one wheel chamber or shellto the other.

. The'diaphragm is provided with conduits or passages 10. Inthepresent'instance two-of .these conduits are shown, which extend inopposite directions from the wheel-shaft. They are of such size that thep'acking-rihgQ and the holder 11 can be removed or adjusted I from theoutside of the wheel casingor shell.

- In the present illustration the holders are provided with flat top andbottom surfaces and parallel side "engage with the sleeve '6 and areguided stance two segments are shown with the ends thereby. i

The packing-ring 9may be made in as many segments as is desired. In thepresent inarranged to overlap; but a difl'erent number of segments canbe used and any other form of joint between the adjacent ends of theringsegments.

' justing the rod longitudinally The walls, which surfaces and wallsExtending through each of. the conduits is a rod 12, that is looselyconnected to the packing-ring holder 11. For the purpose of maintainingthe packing-ring in contact with the shaft a spring 13 is provided,'thatengages a stationary abutment on one end and with a holder at the other.A lost-motion connection comprising a slot and pin loosely connects therod with the holder and permits of slightindependent movements ofthepackingring and sleeve under the action of the spring. The outer endof the rod passes through a cover-plate 14:, that is bolted to afinished face on the wheel-casing. The outer end of the rod isscrew-threaded, and adjusting-nuts are provided on each side oftheplate. By adthe tension of the spring 13 can be varied at will, andinthis manner the packing-ring can be adjusted the required amount. Whenit becomes desirable to remove'one or both portions of the packing-ring,one or both of the cover-plates 14 are removed, together with the nut onthe outer end of the rod12, after which the packing-ring and its holdercan the conduits or passages, The interior of the conduits is unfinishedin order to reduce ex pense. The sleeve 6,however,is provided withthenecessary finished surfaces, which guide the holder and packing. Byreason of this arrangement the machine-work is reduced to a minimum. t

In Fig. 2 the steam-chests 15, which deliver steam to the nozzles 16,(shown by dotted lines) are so spaced that the conduit 10 passes betweenthem. In the present illustration four 1 of these steam-chests are shownon one side be removed through of the center; but the number canbevaried i at will.

In Fig. 3 the packing-ring 17 is made in two parts with butt-jointsinstead of in four parts with overlapping. ends, as in the otherfigures. The par-ts of the holder 18 are made as light as possible bycoring out openings 19. In each section of the holder is formeda socketwhichsupports the spring 20. The opposite end of the spring engages withan abutment 21, whichis adjustable from a point at or near the peripheryof the casing. With this arrangement the spring forms the soleconnection 4 between the abutment and the holder. -A hook or similardevice may be employed to remove the packing when necessary.

- In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes I havedescribed, the principle of operation of my invention, together with theapparatus which I now cons der to representthe best embodiment thereot;but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is onlyillustrative and that the inventioncan be carried out by other-means.

'What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is-

1. An elastic-fluid turbine, comprising a' shaft and two or more wheelsmounted there on, a casing'or shell therefor, and a diaphragm orpartition locatedbetween the wheels and shell therefor having aperipheral opening,-

" and a diaphragm located between adjacent wheels, in combination with apacking for preventing the passage-of fluid from one side of'thediaphragm, to thejother which is removable through the opening in thecasing.

3. -An 'elastic'fluid turbine, comprising a shaft and wheelsmountedthereon, acasing or shell therefor having a peripheral opening,and

a diaphragm located between adjacent wheels,

in combination with a packing for preventing the passage of fluid fromoneside of the diaphragm to the other, and a'conduit which registerswith the opening in the-outer wall of.

the casing through which the packing is adjustable and removable.

' 4. elastic-fluid turbine, comprising a shaft and wheels mountedthereon, a casing 3.

or shell therefoig and a diaphragm located be tween adjacent'wheels, incombination with a packing for preventing the passage of fluid from oneside of the diaphragm to the other, and. a conduit formed in thediaphragm through which the packing is removable.

" shell therefonand a diaphragm located between adjacent wheels, incombination with a divided. packing for preventing leakage betweenshells, and oppositely-extending c'onduit's, through which the packingmay be removed. 1

6. An elastic-fluid turbine, comprising'a shaft, and wheels mountedthereon, a casing or shell therefor, and a diaphragm located betweenadjacent wheels, in combination ,witha divided packing entirely inolosedby the cas-.

the center .of the diaphragm to the edge, a packing-ring, a guidetherefor, and a means located in the conduit for moving the ring.

9. In anelastic-fiuid turbine, the combination of adiap'hragm havingoppositely-extending conduits .formed therein, a slotted sleeve locatedat the center of the diaphragm, a segmental packin'g ring and holderguided by the sleeve, and means for moving the ring and holder whichpass through the conduits and are accessible from the edge of thediaphragm. 10. In an elastic-fluid turbine,-the combination of adiaphragm or partition, a conduit extending from ,the center of thediaphragm toward the edge, a packing-ring which is removable through theconduit, and a cover-platefor closing the outer end of the conduit.

11, In aturbine, the combination of a casing havlng one or more openingsIn its outer surface, a diaphragm which divides the'casing intocompartments, and a packing-ring that is supported by the diaphragm andis removable through the opening or openings in the casing. '12. Inaturbine, the combination ofawheelshaft, a packing therefor, a casinginclosing thepacking and wheel-shaft and provided-with aperipheralopening through which the pack' ing can be adjusted and removed, and anadjustable means locatedwithin the casing which constantly urges the.packing into close 'contact with theshaft.

r 13. An elastic-fluid turbine comprising a closes the wheel, incombination with a pack- 5. An elastic-fluid turbine, comprisinga. shaftand Wheels mounted thereon, a'casing or ing for the shaft, locatedwithin the casing, and a passage extending through the outer wall of thecasing throughwhich the packing can be manipulated.

14; An elastic-fluid ,turbihe comprising bucket-wheels; a shaft, acasing which in'closes the wheels, and a separator between the.

wheels, in combination with a packing wholly supported by the separator,and means extending to the outside of the casing for adjusting thepacking. I v

15. In a'multistage turbine, the combination of bucket-wheels, a casingwhich surrounds the wheels, a partitionlocated between the wheel-bodies,which divides the casing into compartments, a packing entirely supportedby the partition, and a means for compensating for wear'of the packing,accessible from the outside of'the casing.

In witness whereof I have-hereunto set my hand this 6th day of August,1903.

, AUSTIN R. DODGE. Witnesses: W. H. CHAPMAN,

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